Amherst Growing Food in Community Meeting
\nAmherst Town Hall
\nJune 7, 2012<\/p>\n
(Pdf version)<\/a><\/p>\n Who is in the room and what is your interest? Some Specific Ideas Next Steps Attending Amherst Growing Food in Community Meeting Amherst Town Hall June 7, 2012 (Pdf version) Who is in the room and what is your interest? Betsy Krogh – growing at home since the early 70’s including an edible forest garden, root … Continue reading
\nBetsy Krogh – growing at home since the early 70’s including an edible forest garden, root
\ncellar, canning and drying, neighbors sharing eggs, expand the community gardens
\nMolly F alsetti-Yu – part of Transitions Amherst, teach at Smith, encourage students
\nKathleen Doherty – UMass Permaculture, worked with Northampton to produce a
\nbrochure on how to create a permaculture garden, more accessible to non-homeowners
\nMichelle Chandler – specialty micro-farm, hens and rabbits, Master Gardener, all about
\ngrowing food, canning
\nJohn Root – gardening for years, permaculture, working at Triple Brook, Earthwise
\nLandscaping is a new business, chair of refuse and recycling committee, need to compost
\nJulie Federman – Health Director, 5-year community transformation grant called “healthy
\nhampshire” looking at high rates of obesity, food and fitness at the policy level, how to
\npromote community gardens or local store, making food part of the local landscape
\nValerie Cooley – teaches policy, knows food policy, students coming to home, social
\nentrepreneurship training, micro-agribusiness incubator
\nBill Cooley – North Amherst, property which is overgrown, interest in bees and chickens
\nwith neighbors, makes beer and mead, permaculture ideas into zoning, working with
\nStockbridge students
\nBernard Brennan – Amethyst Farm, Ag Commission, Transition Amherst, Master
\nGardener, horses, bees, goats, maybe a cow, CSA member, grow community, host a CSA
\nand farmer training program, large herb garden, edible forest garden
\nMona Naimark – Transition Amherst, compost toilets, yes I care, we are all needed
\nSue Morrello – gardening in public spaces, apartments need public space, grow food
\neverywhere programs
\nStephanie Ciccarello – Town Sustainability Coordinator, new position, town is supportive
\nof green issues and energy conservation, growing more food is important, students need
\nto be encouraged to grow food, education is needed
\nJohn Gerber – I would like to be a cheerleader for all of these wonderful ideas
\nWide Ranging Discussion: Conservation Department manages community gardens and
\nit has been difficult to maintain, there are different models for manages community
\ngardens, clearing house or inventory to identify land opportunities for sharing space and
\nideas, help people figure out how to share space with their neighbors, Gardening in
\nCommunity and garden together rather than dividing up plots works because it was
\nfocused on social gathering and learning, community garden at the Survival Center, bread
\nand other food from the Survival Center to raise animals, Cambodian gardeners need
\nspace, focus on different populations, shared kitchens for teaching workshops especially
\nconnecting with the faith community – this will keep costs down, network to connect
\npeople, yahoo group or phone number to call to connect people who want to plant with
\nland, growers dating service, gardensharing, online gardening clearinghouse, connect to
\nlibraries, hyper-locavore, yardsharing, sharing backyards, perennial food gardens at
\nschools lower maintenance costs, is there a place to store equipment, tool library, seed
\nlibrary, outreach to colleges, wish list on town web site, connection with ag school, does
\nthe business school provide opportunities for students to gain experience, lets focus on
\nhunger, lets feed the hungry, Rachels Kitchen for gleaning, glean orchards, and more.<\/p>\n
\n\uf0b7 canning workshops
\n\uf0b7 edible landscape trees in town
\n\uf0b7 shade tree committee for gardening
\n\uf0b7 neighborhood experiments
\n\uf0b7 town farm
\n\uf0b7 town gardens
\n\uf0b7 gardening in community (work together)
\n\uf0b7 wish list on town web site
\n\uf0b7 community farm
\n\uf0b7 grow food and grow community
\n\uf0b7 Transitions Amherst event
\n\uf0b7 skill sharing open mike
\n\uf0b7 gleaning events
\n\uf0b7 Portland Fruit Tree Project (gleaning for the hungry)
\n\uf0b7 database connecting people
\n\uf0b7 work with Stockbridge students on town projects
\n\uf0b7 tool registry – by neighborhood
\n\uf0b7 nut trees at the Survival Center
\n\uf0b7 town and gown relations
\n\uf0b7 block party in fall with Alex and the BID
\n\uf0b7 engaging students
\n\uf0b7 educational event in the fall with Kathy Harrison
\n\uf0b7 permaculture brochure (like Northampton)<\/p>\n
\n1. Stephanie will facilitate the next meeting on July 11 at 10:00am
\n2. We will invite others to the next meeting
\n3. We will identify 3 top ideas and form working groups to take action
\nFinally
\nThanks to everyone for sharing your thoughts and passion around growing food in
\ncommunity in Amherst . Attending this meeting is not a commitment to continue to
\nengage in this conversation. Everyone is busy. However, we do hope you will continue
\nto share your time and energy to the best of your ability.
\nThank you.<\/p>\n
\nBetsy Krough
\nMolly Falsetti-Yu
\nKathleen Doherty
\nJohn Root
\nJulie Federman
\nValerie Cooley
\nBill Cooley
\nMichelle Chandler
\nBernard Brennan
\nMona Namark
\nSue Morrello
\nStephanie Ciccarello
\nJohn Gerber<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"